Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

New Mutants #14New Mutants #14
Marvel Comics
Wells, Roberson, Medina & Fox

This is the issue I think I have been waiting for the entire crossover. It took until chapter eleven of Second Coming but I finally got an issue where there was action, the plot moved and a couple of characters stood out from the noise and acted as you might expect them to. This issue moves quickly and really puts the crossover into a position that it seems to make sense as to where it is heading. Is it enough to save the crossover from being forgettable overall? I'm not sure about that but this is an enjoyable read nonetheless.

Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle ReviewsXavier enlists his son, David Haller, to help the X-Men battle the Nimrods. While the character may not be the most mainstream character around, this comic introduces his power and limits very well. For the long time reader, I felt this character was used to perfection. I wouldn't have guessed that Haller would have been involved in this crossover but it seems like he was a good choice at this stage.

The other aspect of this comic book that I liked was the battle in the future. Not only does Cable establish a plan, which is what you would expect him to do, but when enacted, the plan seems logical using the correct pieces to perform specific functions. For example, Cypher is used perfectly in this issue. I found him talking binary code to the machines to be spot on with his character and in line with what a reasonable plan would be rather than having Wolverine simply go berserker on the Nimrods.

Finally, I loved the artwork. The style was polished and had a shinny effect to it. While that might not be the desired look for the futuristic scenes I found it to fit very well in the scenes where Rogue and Hope are having a moment or where Xavier drags his son into the war. It also helped make the action standout in the issue. To me, this helped make this feel like a classic X-Men comic book.

With only three chapters left in the crossover I now am starting to understand where this is all going. This issue provides plenty of action from plenty of characters. It's not always clear who the characters are in some of the scenes but the action is conveyed perfectly in terms of entertainment. I loved how some of the characters were portrayed and I enjoyed the visual story told in this issue. With the lone exception of the opening one shot this might be my favorite issue of the crossover.

4 out of 5 Geek Goggles